Istafa Ali
Last week, a lightning strike during a friendly match claimed the life of 34-year-old Indonesian football player Septian Raharja, causing tragedy across the football community.
Raharja was on the pitch at Siliwangi Stadium in Bandung when the tragedy happened. Raharja was a player for Football Boss Indonesia (FBI) Subang.
A terrifying video that went viral on social media showed Raharja collapsing to the ground after being struck by lightning. Following the incident, a nearby player also went down. Some players left the pitch in shock as the awful incident happened, and Raharja’s friend hurried to help.
PRFM news, an Indonesian news source, states that Raharja was still alive at the time of the lightning hit, which occurred around 3:30 pm. His condition worsened on the trip to the hospital, even though it was less than a kilometre away, and he was pronounced dead when he arrived.
“It was hot at the start of the game, but it was already raining in the south and east,” said GJ, Raharja’s opponent, in reference to the weather during the contest. On the pitch, it was still quite hot. We dared to play because of this.” Raharja’s leg appeared to be burning, and GJ noted that a scar was evident on his breast.
Football Boss Indonesia (FBI) Subang posted a picture of Raharja on Instagram along with the date of his demise and a flower emoji as a way to honour him. The football community sent their sympathies for the passing, citing Cristian Gonzales, a former striker for the Indonesian national team. To honour Septian Raharja, a different FBI team observed a moment of silence.
This unfortunate situation in Indonesia is reminiscent of something that happened in Singapore over twenty years ago. When lightning struck Jiang Tao, an 18-year-old player for the now-defunct Chinese S-League team Sinchi FC, during practice at Jurong Stadium—which has since been demolished—he lost his life.
